The Geography department are delighted to share some exciting news from this year’s Polar Network Antarctica Day Competition. Three of our students' flag were submitted to take part in this inspiring international initiative, celebrating creativity, science, and global collaboration. As part of the competition, students were invited to design flags representing their ideas about Antarctica, its environment, and its importance to our planet. We are incredibly proud to announce that all three of our students’ entries were photographed in Antarctica (at Cappe Geddes, near Signy Research Station) by Laura Wilkie Johnson, a PhD student. The pictures were taken aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough. Seeing our students’ work represented in such a remote and important part of the world is a remarkable achievement and a testament to their creativity and enthusiasm. This opportunity has helped highlight the importance of polar research and environmental awareness, while also allowing our students to feel connected to real-world scientific exploration. We warmly congratulate our three participants: Lara 8GD, James 8LB and Maya 8LC for their fantastic contributions and for representing our school on a global stage. We look forward to seeing even more students get involved in future opportunities like this.

We are delighted to congratulate the nine students who have been accepted onto the prestigious Imperial College London STEM Potential Programme. This is a fantastic achievement, especially considering that we had 22 applications; having nine students accepted is absolutely incredible. The STEM Potential Programme is a highly competitive initiative designed to support and inspire talented students with a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Through the programme, students will take part in a range of enriching activities, including academic workshops, mentoring, campus visits, and insight into university life at Imperial College London. This opportunity will allow our students to develop their subject knowledge, build confidence, and gain a deeper understanding of future pathways in STEM fields. We are extremely proud of their success and look forward to seeing them thrive throughout the programme.

This year’s British Science Week was a huge success across all three sites, with students and staff taking part in a wide range of exciting activities designed to celebrate curiosity, creativity and scientific thinking. Throughout the week, students enjoyed a variety of lunchtime and after-school science sessions, including practical challenges, STEM activities, and investigations led by members of the science department. Activities ranged from making hand creams and exploring melting points to engineering challenges such as windmill blade design and marble runs, giving students the chance to experience science in a fun and hands-on way. One of the highlights of the week was the arrival of our baby chicks, which hatched live in the science labs. Students (and teachers!) visited the chicks during break and lunch, and for the first time ever we live streamed the chicks hatching on the Robert Clack website – it was brilliant to hear how many students were tuning in at home, making this a memorable experience for everyone involved. We also had the science department’s resident pet turtles, Phineas and Ferb, take part in a race – Phineas won despite his small size! This year’s British Science Week poster competition was also a great success, where over 70 students created thoughtful and creative posters exploring the theme of a positive childhood. The quality of entries was outstanding, with students combining scientific ideas, creativity and personal reflection to produce some truly impressive work. Finalists’ posters showed excellent effort, originality and attention to detail, and it was great to see so many students engaging with the theme. Across Lymington, Gosfield and Green Lane, the enthusiasm shown by students was fantastic, and it was great to see so many taking part in activities beyond the classroom. Events like these highlight how science can be creative and enjoyable for everyone. A big thank you to all staff who helped organise activities, run sessions and support students throughout the week — and well done to all students who took part and made British Science Week 2026 such a success!

This week, our school production of Aladdin lit up the stage with two fantastic evening performances on Tuesday and Wednesday. Students from across year groups came together to deliver a vibrant, energetic, and thoroughly entertaining show that showcased not only their musical talents, but also their dedication and teamwork. From the colourful costumes and creative staging to the confident acting and lively musical numbers, the production was a true celebration of the performing arts. Our cast brought the well-loved characters to life with humour and charm, while the ensemble numbers filled the stage with energy and excitement. A huge congratulations goes to all of the students involved—both on stage and behind the scenes—for their hard work and commitment over many weeks of rehearsals. Their efforts truly paid off, and they should be incredibly proud of what they achieved.  We would also like to thank staff and families for their continued support, as well as everyone who attended the performances. Your encouragement helped make the shows such a memorable success. Well done to everyone involved in making Aladdin such a magical experience!

Between the 6th and 8th of March, 24 Year 10 students took part in an exciting residential trip to PGL Bawdsey Manor in Suffolk. Over the three days, students challenged themselves with a wide range of adventurous activities including climbing, Jacob’s Ladder, the challenge course, archery, aeroball, the giant swing and zip lining. The trip provided plenty of opportunities for students to step outside their comfort zones, build confidence and support one another as they tackled each activity. One of the highlights of the weekend was the silent disco on the Saturday night, where students danced the night away and enjoyed a well-earned evening of fun after a busy day of activities. A special thank you goes to Mr Cook, who generously gave up time on his Friday and Sunday to help drop off and collect some of the students from Suffolk. Trips like this create memories that students will cherish for years to come. The residential was not only about physical activity and adventure, but also about building friendships, developing independence and creating shared experiences that make school life so special.  Miss Robbins

On the 11th of March, our year 7 rugby girls competed in the Essex 7s tournament, putting in fantastic performances throughout the day. Both the A and B teams showed great determination, teamwork and resilience against strong opposition from across the county. The highlight of the tournament was an outstanding performance from the A team, who went on to win the entire competition and secure the Essex 7s title. Their attacking play, defensive effort and teamwork were exceptional, making it a well-deserved victory and a proud moment for the school. The B team also performed brilliantly, showing great spirit and continuing to improve with every match. Their effort and commitment contributed to a very successful day for the whole squad. Special recognition goes to our “Women of Steel” — Cheriah, Khadijat, Lateefat, Anjola, Nathaya, Amelia and Kelsey — whose hard work, determination and positive attitude helped drive the teams forward throughout the tournament.  Overall, it was a fantastic day of rugby and a great achievement for everyone involved. Congratulations to all the players who represented the school so well and brought home the Essex title. Miss Robbins

As part of the Into Film Spring Film Festival we took a group of students from the KS5 CTEC Media Studies classes, KS3 Film Club and KS3 BBC Young Reports Club to see Goat at The Vue Cinema in Dagenham. Goat is an underdog story packed to the rim with the same vivid colours and graphics that you would find in Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The story follows a billy goat named Will, a young goat who is a bit down on his luck, who follows his mum's wishes to 'dream big' to become a player in the much-loved basketball team 'The Thorns'. However, things are never that easy, and Will has to overcome prejudice from those who think they are better than him from other teams in the league and even his own team mates. However, through perseverance, friendship and team work, Will eventually proves to everyone why he is the true GOAT! Everyone had lots of fun experiencing everything that comes with going to the cinema, including a healthy dose of popcorn and combo deals! Thank you to Mrs Fox, Mr Roberts and Mr Carter for helping on the day. Mrs Crowther-Green and the Film and Media Department 

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On 11th March, two of our teams participated in the JP Morgan Final, presenting their prototypes and pitches to a panel of esteemed judges. Team Aquinity presented their Revolution Wave product – a device designed to be installed in rivers to help remove pollution from the water. Laura, Nainshi, Kacie, Lucy, David,, Ali, Aravind and Shayaan Team Green Lungs showcased Air Nova, an innovative concept designed to help filter CO₂ from the air on busy roads. Nichola, Amritpal, Samar, Maria, Zafir, Hamaad, Adam and Tomas Top Influencer Awards – Brightside Across all schools, Robert Clack achieved a clean sweep in the Brightside Top Influencer Awards for positive engagement: 🥉 Laura – Bronze Award 🥈 Adam – Silver Award 🥇 Hamaad – Gold Award We also held a celebration event where students were recognised for their achievements and received personalised report cards. Both of our teams worked incredibly well and scored highly among the teams present. One of the judges, who attended school in our area, commented on how great it was to see students representing Dagenham at such a prestigious event. Some Reflections from the students Amritpal After the final, I think it is the best thing I have joined because it has actually improved my public speaking a lot, and I get to learn different things that I never had before. Even though none of our ideas ever work together, we always make a final decision together. My favourite highlights of JPMorgan are that I get to meet everyone that I've seen around the school and meet everyone outside of school which made me inspire alot. Aravind After the final, I think JP Morgan has improved our community skills by letting us work together to makes something beneficial for our world. My most memorable moment is when we first built the product, and everyone I met had a powerful impact on my life. Shayaan After the final, I think it was still useful for me to join as it improved my teamwork, public speaking and speechwriting skills. We discussed ideas and put long thought into our product, which gave us a job - like experience which can be useful in the future and as part of our skillset. It was also a great experience as we got to visit workshops, the JP Morgan headquarters and Tottenham hotspur stadium, which for me are the highlights of our JP Morgan schools challenge journey. Kacie I think the JP Morgan program has been a great opportunity to be apart of as it’s helped people form new friendships and work on things they struggle with. Personally this experience has helped me with my confidence and my ability to solve problems. My favourite moments were designing our product in the studio and watching our product come together but also watching the team get so excited in the finals. Lucy JP Morgan has been one of my favourite experiences as it’s taught me how to be confident in what I talk about and has shown me how to work in a team with everyone who I may have not known at first but has grown to cherish as life long friends. The JP Morgan mentors have been such a help in growing our company into the best it could be and I’m forever grateful for this wonderful experience as every session has been so fun and I’ve enjoyed myself the whole time. Congratulations to all the students involved – a fantastic achievement! Mrs K McBride , Mr R McBride, Miss F Hibbit